1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a field communications managing apparatus for handling information necessary for communication between a field device and a communication device, the information being a pair of information segments to be set in the field device and the communication.
2. Related Art
In an ISA100.11a conforming to a field wireless standard, there is defined a Publish/Subscribe system as a system for sending and receiving data of a wireless field device, wherein a measured value is sent from a field device to a GW (gateway) via a BBR (Back Bone Router) or an operation value set by an upper device is sent from the GW to the field device via the BBR. In order to use this system, both data sending side (Publisher) and data receiving side (Subscriber) are required to preset configuration information segments including information specifying other party of communication beforehand, and complete the setting of the configuration information segments before communication starts.
A pair of configuration information segments to be set in the transmission side and the reception side are generally prepared in accordance with information specified by a process engineer by use of a software, which is generally referred to as a configuration tool. The thus prepared pair of configuration information segments are set in the GW and the wireless field device, respectively, by a download function of the configuration tool.
[Related Art Literature]
Patent Document 1 2002-007166A
The configuration information segments to be set in the GW and the wireless field device, respectively, represent the pair of information segments, and it is not possible to obtain normal communication operations in a state where only either one of the configuration information segments is set. In the case of using the configuration tool, it is generally inevitable to set either one of the configuration information segments at first, and to subsequently set the other thereof, so that there is a risk that a state of incomplete setting occurs in theory, thereby causing occurrence of an inexpedience. For this reason, an operation is conceivable whereby the setting of a pair of the information segments are completed in advance before the wireless field device is connected to a wireless environment. However, there can be the case where the configuration information segments are frequently altered, and it is impractical to cut the wireless field device off from connection with the wireless environment every time the configuration information segments are altered, so that such an operation is difficult to perform.
Further, in the case of using the related-art configuration tool, there also exists a risk of forgetting about the setting of either of the configuration information segments.